We Answer The Age-Old Question: What Division Should I Play In?

So you’ve been bitten by the disc golf bug and can’t get the game out of your mind. After fitting in rounds during every spare moment of your day, you finally muster up the courage to sign up for your first tournament.

But wait a minute - how do you know what division to play in? It might be tempting to register in Advanced with all of your friends, but you’re not sure if you can keep up with them. How are you supposed to know what to do? We break down some of the considerations to think about when signing up for your first tournament and how you can pace yourself for success.

Before You Register

As you look through the registration page for your local event, you might notice an additional fee if you’re not a member of the PDGA. What’s that about?! More often than not, players choose to become a member of the Professional Disc Golf Association for a number of reasons.

Not only does it avoid you having to pay this $10 fee for every tournament you play in, but it also gives you a specific PDGA number and you are able to track the ratings of each of your rounds. This is a great way to see your progress over time and can also help when signing up for larger events that split up registration times and dates based on ratings.

Your First Event And Beyond

Unless you can throw a mile and consistently shoot far better than everyone else you play with during a casual round, it’s recommended that you sign up for Recreational or Intermediate for your first event. This allows you to get a handle on how to conduct yourself during tournament play and get a feel for what it’s like to play with a little skin in the game after having paid an entry fee.

If you completely crush it during every tournament you play, it’s probably smart to move up to Advanced in an effort to improve your skills. Many times this initial jump can be difficult, as a player might consistently place in the top 5 in Intermediate but soon find themselves toward the middle or bottom of the pack in Advanced.

Rather than going down a division, use this as an opportunity to better yourself and your game, as you’re now playing with higher caliber players.

Don’t Be A Sandbagger

Dating back to the 1970’s poker scene, the term sandbagger isn’t exactly something you should strive for. Essentially, as people move up in division and find themselves challenged more and more, some individuals have a tendency to go backward and drop down to the division they were once previously dominating.

This is bad for a number of reasons that relate to your game and to your reputation. Those who play in lower divisions than they should find that they aren’t as challenged during tournament play because they know they’ll take the win by a handful or more of strokes. There’s something about having added mental pressure to perform that makes disc golf both difficult and enjoyable.

Perhaps one of the larger reasons to avoid being a sandbagger comes from the reputation you’ll earn from your local disc golf community. Sandbaggers rob others from hard-earned wins, and they are seen in a pretty negative light. Locals might talk about how certain sandbaggers need to “move up,” referencing that they should compete in a higher division than they are currently in. It’s simple - don’t be a sandbagger.

The Challenge Of Playing Pro

Let’s say you’ve made your way through the ranks and you’re performing exceptionally well in the Advanced division. Now comes the time to make one of the biggest, and sometimes scariest jumps of all - moving up to play pro.

Playing in the Open division is another animal in itself, as you are now playing for cash instead of merchandise. The competition can be extreme, as you’re surrounding yourself with the upper echelon of disc golfers in the game. Not letting the pressure get to you is half of the challenge, let alone making sure you execute your shots perfectly.

There is one catch when playing in Open, however, and that has to do with what you do with your prize. The PDGA does stipulate that if an Open player chooses not to accept their cash prize, they could theoretically play in other lower divisions in the future. Once you take the money though, you’re stuck in Open whether you like it or not.

Where Do You Fall?

Let us know in the comments below what your experience has been when selecting the division you started in, and how moving up or down has affected your game!